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Re: Hi rain total in Heavy Weather history

Thanks Juha I ve taken everything down and probably won t be back up until later today or tomarrow. Even though Heavy Weather history was showing an abnormal

Message 1 of 8
, Feb 6, 2006

Thanks Juha

I've taken everything down and probably won't be back up until later
today or tomarrow.

Even though Heavy Weather history was showing an abnormal high
total, 83.75 and later in the day it was creeping up to 83.77
rainfall, it didn't show up on the console or on the PC. My total
rainfall always stayed at 8.9 inches on the WU and also on the PC.

My ThermoHydro sensor wasn't completely sheltered and during our
recent deluge of liquid H2O, the battery compartment may have become
saturated with water and shorted the electornics out.

Another one of those "Hmmmmmms" My setup was completely temporary
so hopefully the next time I'm set up it will be more permanent with
a little more protection and ready to withsatand our next Hurricane
Season!!?

> > total rain jumped to above 83.
>
> This sounds like a noise translated to a pouring rain. All

electronic

> devices are susceptible to such interference. Your example is a

good

> one in demonstrating such a behavior.
>
> > I'm wondering what would happen if I unplug the cords again?
>
> It is likely you will receive a random number of rain again. :)
>
> > I had unpluged the cords in the past but did not have any change

in

> > the recorded history.
>
> It may be far fetched, but it can be that the rain gauge had still
> some parasitic power remaining and moving the gauge unplugged,

caused

> a concentration of that power and when you plugged it back in, it
> caused a signal of some sort, that was (mis)translated by the

I m going to be working on my rain gauge for my LaCrosse WS-3610 later today, so I ll be able to figure out how it really works and get an exact answer. The

Message 2 of 8
, Feb 6, 2006

I'm going to be working on my rain gauge for my LaCrosse WS-3610 later
today, so I'll be able to figure out how it really works and get an
exact answer. The basics of how it works, is there is a
teeter-totter like mechanism that rocks back and forth as the rain
trickles in from above. As it does so, a magnet passes by a reed
switch. A reed switch is a magnetic switch that either opens or
closes in the presence of a magnetic field. Reed switches are
quite tiny, so it was hard for me to visually see which type it
was. If it's the type that opens, then it is closed when
it's waiting for the magnet to pass by and connecting or disconnecting
the connector will cause "noise" as the contacts rub together that is
counted as rain. Even if the noise wasn't there, just
disconnecting and reconnecting the cable would count at 0.1 inches of
rain.

If it's the other type of switch, then I'd have to take a closer look
at the connector inside the thermo/hygro/transmitter unit to see if
it's possible to short the connector out while making the connection.

Whenever I'm working on the system, I stop the WUHU loader so I don't
pass bad data onward. After the work is completed, I clear the
counts from the base unit and make sure any odd numbers are being
stored in the history file(s).

Whichever the case, I hope to know more later. I removed the
cable that came with the rain gauge and replaced it with a longer
one. It doesn't appear to be working at all right now, but then
again, if you've ever put an RJ-11 connector on a twisted pair CAT-5
cable in the dark, in the cold, in the wind, then you'll understand
that it is difficult to make sure each wire is exactly where it is
supposed to be and I knew as I was making the crimp that I'd probably
be back to do it again when I had time during daylight hours.

> I had to unplug the sensor and change batteries, and that is when my
> total rain jumped to above 83.

This sounds like a noise translated to a pouring rain. All electronic
devices are susceptible to such interference. Your example is a good
one in demonstrating such a behavior.

> I'm wondering what would happen if I unplug the cords again?

It is likely you will receive a random number of rain again. :)

> I had unpluged the cords in the past but did not have any change in
> the recorded history.

It may be far fetched, but it can be that the rain gauge had still
some parasitic power remaining and moving the gauge unplugged, caused
a concentration of that power and when you plugged it back in, it
caused a signal of some sort, that was (mis)translated by the weather
station as rain.

What makes this interesting is that the rain wasn't showing on the
hourly rain first...

> I'm going to be working on my rain gauge for my LaCrosse WS-3610 later > today, so I'll be able to figure out how it really works and get > an exact > answer. The basics of how it works, is there is a teeter-totter like > mechanism that rocks back and forth as the rain trickles in from > above. As > it does so, a magnet passes by a reed switch. A reed switch is a > magneticswitch that either opens or closes in the presence of a > magnetic field. > Reed switches are quite tiny, so it was hard for me to visually > see which > type it was. If it's the type that opens, then it is closed when > it'swaiting for the magnet to pass by and connecting or > disconnecting the > connector will cause "noise" as the contacts rub together that is > counted as > rain. Even if the noise wasn't there, just disconnecting and > reconnectingthe cable would count at 0.!

1 inches

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